Local Area

The municipality Beauvechain, located on the edge of the Meerdaal forest, consists of the villages Beauvechain, Hamme-Mille, l’Écluse, Nodebais and Tourinnes-la-Grosse. In this region two different types of landscape meet: the gently rolling plateaus of the northeast and the valley of la Néthen of the southwest, with its steep slopes and deep, moist valley’s.

The diversity of the villages scattered across this landscape contributes to the overall charm of the region. On the one hand you have Hamme-Mille with its shopping centre and Beauvechain that houses an Air Force base and a museum dedicated to it. On the other hand you have Tourinnes, Nodebais and l’Écluse, each with its own unique heritage and old farmhouses, where you can find peace and quiet in country roads crisscrossing the fields.

Tourinnes-la-Grosse is mainly known for the festivities in honor of Saint Martin. These have resulted in an art project, started in 1999 by the ceramic artist Max van der Linden: during the days of Saint Martin you can watch a play in the ancient Roman church, and you can visit several houses and farms in the area that function as exhibition space for paintings, statues, photo’s, jewelry, ceramics and other works of art.